A GP has shared the subtle symptoms of a common cancer, warning women not to brush them off.
The disease is often labelled a “silent killer” because the signs can be mild, vague, or easily mistaken for something less serious by both patients and medical professionals.
Dr Amir Khan, a UK General Practitioner and ITV’s resident doctor, recently highlighted what people should look out for and why taking persistent changes seriously matters.
During an appearance on the No Appointment Necessary podcast, he explained that this particular cancer can present in ways that don’t clearly point to the part of the body affected, meaning it can be misread as another issue entirely.
That confusion can delay diagnosis and treatment, which can have serious consequences.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,010 women will receive a new diagnosis and around 12,450 will die from the condition, according to Cancer.org.
The cancer in question is ovarian cancer.
In the US, ovarian cancer affects roughly one in 91 women and is linked to about one in 143 deaths.
While it is most commonly diagnosed in white women aged 63 or older, it can develop in anyone who has ovaries.
Dr Amir said many people are unaware of what to watch for.
He said on the podcast: “The symptoms [of ovarian cancer] are not very specific to the ovaries, so they feel like they could be coming from somewhere else.”
He added that these signs may be “dismissed” by women or their doctors. As a general rule, he advised that any woman over 35 should get checked if they have symptoms that are “unexplained or persistent” and last three weeks or longer—particularly bloating.
The Mayo Clinic notes that ovarian cancer symptoms can be difficult to pin down and may overlap with many everyday conditions.
It can also involve less common issues that are frequently attributed to digestive or hormonal problems, such as indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, back pain, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and vaginal bleeding outside of your menstrual cycle.
Doctors don’t know exactly why some people develop ovarian cancer and others do not, but several factors are associated with a higher risk.
For example, the Mayo Clinic lists risks such as older age, inherited gene changes including BRCA1 and BRCA2, a family history of ovarian cancer, being overweight or obese, postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy, endometriosis, the age you start your period, and never having been pregnant.